The paediatric complications of excess weight service provides support to patients aged 2-17 years old, from the North East and North Cumbria region (Newcastle, Durham, Gateshead, Sunderland, North Cumbria, Northumberland, North and South Tyneside).
We work across multiple settings including Great North Children’s Hospital outpatients, wards, at home and community settings. The service provides care for children and young people over a period of 12-18 months, depending on individual need.
Aims
- Provide positive family engagement and nurture enthusiasm for change
- Improvement in health care outcomes for young people
- Provide excellent standards of medical care addressing health concerns and complications
- Deliver multi-disciplinary education
- Holistic family focused support
- Encourage long term healthy goals
Our roles include
- Offering comprehensive stigma-free care that includes medical assessments, to identify any complications of excess weight, referrals to other specialist teams and treatment as needed.
- Creation and implementation of nutritional plans tailored to each child’s needs and preferences.
- Emotional and psychological support including therapeutic interventions around body image and eating behaviours.
- Social support.
- Group education and activity sessions.
Meet the team
We are a friendly team and work together to ensure you receive support from the most appropriate professionals to meet your goals and live the best, healthiest life. We have a range of professionals in the team including medical, dietetics, psychology, nursing, and family support.
Referral form
Patients will need a referral from a local paediatrician or specialist service using our referral form. Please make sure the form is fully completed including all mandatory investigations, otherwise the referral will be rejected and returned. In order to achieve successful outcomes families must have consented to the referral and must be motivated to engage in the service. Please return form to email address below.
Due to service demands we have a waitlist for accessing the service.
Helpful links for resources and support
- Healthier Families
- NHS Food Scanner app – Healthier Families
- NHS Live well – Eatwell guide
- NHS Live well – How to read food labels
- Exercise – NHS
- Joe Wickes online workout videos
- Get running with Couch to 5K – NHS
- The daily mile
- Children and young people’s health psychology – Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Kidscape – Help with bullying
- YoungMinds
- Body image support: be body positive
